“Be grateful I did not run my car over you!”
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It’s a small world but its not really the same world. Cross a couple of seas or oceans and things change for good or bad, while you are still on the same planet Earth. Not very long back, I think it was 2004. I was working in Delhi and I had a very strange experience. It was a Saturday and a bunch of us in the bureau had gone for a lazy late lunch. It was one of those rare Saturday lunches when we decided not to drink any beer. Just food and no booze we decided. We were all in a colleague’s car and trying to park it in the ever crowded Fleet Street in Delhi (Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg) right opposite to Business Standard office. My chief was driving the car and was maneuvering the car to park it with some difficult gear shifts. This dude follows rules to the point of irritation. All indicators were on and he was watching the rear view mirror all the time but still a couple of trigger happy goons managed to bump their bike behind our car. What followed as a typical Delhi-style testosterone fight. Goon number one who was riding the bike wanted to prove a point while my chief was trying to explain why the fault was not his but Goon No.1’s. I was fairly new to Delhi so I decided to correct the situation. Leaving my two colleagues (who were bigger and more street-wise than me anyway) to handle the goons, I ran to the nearest police picket and brought with me two fat cops, one actually carrying a big gun — the one with lots of holes in the nozzle. Then came one more cop and he said we all need to go to the station (IP Estate) to file a complaint. I was happy. See, who said this is jungle raj. It worked like a charm and the bad guys will learn their lesson today. The three of us, along with the two goons where asked to wait a bit. We were introduced to two more cops, one lady and another big Jat cop (am guessing by his size and his accent). Then the lady cop casually dropped the bomb. All us were asked to strip for a medical check up. WHAT? I don’t go topless in my hometown’s Marina beach, leave alone stripping in a police station. This is one of those moments when you get that strange ticklish feel in your sole and certain parts defy gravity and move upwards (you know what!). That strange churn in the stomach ensued. Eyes start to dilate and normal sounds assume Dolby Surround Sound effect in the head. My poor boss looked at me in shock. Ok, I am going to be taken out of the auto beat and asked to cover chambers for the rest of my life! Luckily, my other colleague got this brilliant idea. Call the big boss, that is my boss’ boss’ boss. (No names please). He came to the station and spoke to the lady cop and explained to her that all this was not necessary and we don’t want to register a complaint. Suddenly the two goons and all us were shaking hands and putting up a grand show for all to see, how we were almost like childhood friends who failed to recognize each other and all is well. So bye bye. Phew, close one. On the way back to office, one question was in the top of every one’s mind. Why did I call the cops? Someone even asked it. That is when the big boss said, what I did was the right thing. The only mistake was I forgot it was in Delhi. For small harmless altercations you don’t call the cops. We are not living in the West. This is India, I was told. But isn’t it how big fights start? So why not nip it in the bud by bringing in the cop early? May be, but don’t do that again I was told. Ok, said I. It made sense actually. Five years later, something eerily similar happened here in London right outside my house. It was Friday evening. My wife, visiting mom-in-law and I were coming home after an evening stroll at around 8 pm. It was still bright outside and a green Honda was parked outside my apartment building. We walked around the car and it suddenly started to back up, slowly at first. I managed to cross, then my wife and just about when my mom-in-law was about to make it the car accelerated. We had to pull my mom-in-law right on time and avoided what could have been a serious accident. My wife screamed at the driver. It was a lady behind the wheel and she looked Asian. At first she gave a lame apology. My wife and I were shocked and it must have shown on our face. Now that really ticked off the nice cement-footed lady behind the wheel. She went off the handle and said, “I apologised didn’t I? So why are you making faces” she asked. Hey I have a question, I said. “Does your lame apology make your wrong right? Don’t we have the right to express shock?” asked I. Now this nice lady gets better by the minute. “I did not hit you, did I? Be grateful I did not run my car over you, ok?” Not a nice lady anymore. She asked us to “@*&% #*%”. Back home, still a bit shaken, I decided to call the cops. Control room came on the line right away and the lady at the other end calmly told me, since we were not hit by the car, there is very little they could do. But then she said something that surprised me. “You can register a complaint just in case should you encounter this person again in your apartment complex. I can record the complaint and give you a reference number,” she said. I was happy. That is exactly what I wanted. Being the victim of this unpleasant event, I wanted to be the first one to record it with the police. That we got to do and we got the reference number as well. That night I went to sleep with smile on my face. My big boss in Delhi was right. I am now living in the West and even as a working class immigrant, I have rights. A right I am constitutionally entitled to in India but seldom get to exercise. A few hours later India will wake up and celebrate Independence Day for the 63rd year!
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(26 votes, average: 4.12 out of 5)
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All the content posted in the 'Business Standard Blogs' section, unless specified otherwise, are made by Business Standard employees. The content posted in 'Business Standard Blogs' does not follow routine internal Business Standard reviews and editorial processes and should be considered only as the views and opinions of the employees and not of Business Standard.
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:15 pm
There are certain ways in which people would wish to live, In India there is just one principle on which life sustains ” Survival of the fittest” , There is a constant gold rush , people want more and more , they never seem to stop and contemplate life. Sadly in a country where Gandhi is called the father of the nation , hardly any of his principles are followed. When people are too arrogant to admit their mistakes and apologise , when there is no term called introspection in people’s heart and where education becomes only a means to get job , the society starts to crumble.And its another sad thing that this is happening today in our country. According to me what kalyan is projecting is just one of the many instances that happen in our daily lives. Its not about our country being over populated , its just that we do not have courtesy for others any more. Some idio$ was mentioning about freedom of speech. Well what most people make out of this right is that , the louder you yell the more you get , and that you can just say about anything. I am not passing a judgement here , but certainly it was annoying at the way the ” whateverTeller” was putting forth his argument .
And there is no point in blaming the Khadi clans for the way they contest in the Parliament house , They are just a reflection of what our society truly is today. They really do represent us , our society today. Someone also mentioned that “I wish to continue living in an India that is progressing, but, a little faster” , he has hopes but then he leaves the onus on someone who can drive the progress faster , trust me 80 % of the people who live in Bangalore are educated and most of them enjoy a living standard much higher than manyof the cities. But hardly .01% of them have basic civic sense. And they expect a few hundred cops to manage the traffic , the crime , and a few municipality workers to keep the city clean. We are too busy to be courteous , we are too busy to accept our mistakes. Wake up amigos , the change is in our hands , All general civilians form the majority of the society that we live in today , if each one is enlightened , then we dont have to live under the shadows of the corrupt custodians.
August 21st, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Hi TruthTeller:
Rest assured that your views will be given all the attention and respect it deserves. You don’t have to be abusive or go all UPPER CASE to get people’s attention. Try it sometime and you will understand what am trying to say.
August 21st, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Oh the pity of it all. All right, smug juveniles - tell me ONE thing that the Indian cops did which was wrong. And I shall tell you the exact LEGAL reasons why the cops were RIGHT in doing it the way they did. Their only illegal activity was letting you guys off without a proper investigation. At the minimum, they should have fingerprinted all of you and taken down your ID and home addresses.
August 21st, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Mr Nagraj:
Do you know that many wanna be cops actually pay bribes to get their job and “recover” it on the job? No one asked them to be cops. They made the choice all by themselves. Lower pay and longer hours is hardly an excuse to be corrupt. Imagine what will happen to the country if the armed forces thinks like the cops as well!
August 21st, 2009 at 1:14 am
I am an Indian, living in India and happy about that. I travel abroad and feel that there are some things we can learn from the west and the case Kalyan makes out is 1 of them. It is also true that there are things the west can learn from us. I guess the difficulty arises from the fact that the good we have in India, like freedom of speech and job opportunities are difficult to appreciate till it is threatened and the gaps in India are difficult to appreciate when somebody else points it out to us. Neverthless , the truth stays and that the rule of law is the desired state for anybody and the more it is in vougue, the happier the good man feels. It is only the person who benefits from defying the law, from the “management” of the law by use of influence or money prefers the contrary.
It is also true that the cop works without leave and for 14 hours a day and is paid very little. He gets promoted once in 15 years while the population around him works 8 hours a day, gets leave and a promotion every 5 years. If you are in the IT or BPO industry, you a get a company vehicle to pick you up from home and a promotion every year. If not, you change jobs to get the promotion.
Any society that under pays its teacher, lawyer and policeman suffers from a poor system.
I wish to continue living in an India that is progressing, but, a little faster.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Dear Asif:
From an author’s perspective it is a bit unsettling and to say the least uncomfortable to “moderate” comments in a blog.
I am totally in agreement with you on freedom of speech and expression of views. Nothing, practically nothing can come in its way. Having said that please read Truthteller’s comment again. I don’t think he left any room for decency or civility to expect others to reciprocate.
Sincere views and comments are always welcome, how much ever bitter they may be. But there are ways to express your views in public domain. Truthteller was asking for it, when he made that unbridled remark in the first place. As a sign of respect for this views, how much ever personal it was, I did not delete it.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Charan it is absolutely uncivilized and uncouth of an educated Indian like you, to target an anonymous entity like Truthteller, barking and snapping at him for his views- at least we enjoy freedom of expression in this God forsaken overpoulated country, run by khadi khakhi and khalsa. Perhaps he is right in his own views and perhaps he isn’t but we all know for sure- He’s practical in a Practical India.
In this mud slinging we have lost sight of what an Indian living abroad experienced different in his own homeland and he wants to tell us , show us we are only going from a bad situation to a worse situation and then irreparable chaos.
There is absolutely no way to correct the demons of chaos which are engulfing this country and its structure. The moment we got democracy without education - we began its destruction. Its unfortunate but true- its the end for the land of snake charmers and natural welath.
August 19th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Good story…it is the truth about Indian cops. However, I am sure, as we evolve the sensitivity towards the public will increase. At the end of the day, they’re as frustrated as any other Indian. Bad roads, bad defense, bad laws. Situations, however are improving and empowerment is the name of the game
August 18th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
TruthTeller, your dad must be a cop…. therefore…
August 17th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
now you know why Shah was screaming. he expected king’s rights and people should consider themselves blessed to have a darshan of him. unless the police, politicians and above all, we citizens change, the chaos is going to get bigger and there certainly will be blood in the hands of some for no fault of theirs.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:07 am
All Indian cops are pimps and prostitutes in uniform. I must aologetically say- all of us have shared a similar experience when we came across such uniformed thugs, and the arrogant skunks.
August 15th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
The cops in India did everything RIGHT. Not ONE mistake.
People like this author seem to feel that their delusions and juvenile grievances are the sole truth, and everybody else in India is an idiot. How pathetic such losers are!